Hashing operations can be used to increase the efficiency of relational operations, such as those used in relational databases, by enabling various data entries to be represented by hash values. Depending on how the hashing is done, hash collisions may occur, which may result from different data entries generating the same hash value. Resolving hash collisions may require the use of more complex data structures or more costly hashing operations, which may require additional storage and processing overhead to maintain, thereby reducing a substantial benefit derived from hashing.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical or similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.